Thursday, 4:30 PM
Feeding seals causes concern on Nantucket
(Wendy Maeda/Globe Staff/file)
By Andrew Ryan, Globe Staff
On Nantucket this summer, a stop at Great Point to feed gray seals has become a routine for many charter fishing boat captains, giving customers an up-close look at mammals that had once been hunted to the brink of extinction.
Like Pavlov's dogs, the normally reclusive seals quickly became conditioned to anticipate free meals and quickly went beyond barking at boats for handouts. The animals discovered that surf fishermen casting from the shore could be another food source and began snatching fish off their hooks before the catch could be reeled in.
"Someone had the idea of giving a seal a bluefish," said Sergeant Dean Belanger, the lone state environmental police officer stationed on Nantucket. "Then it just spread like wildfire. Essentially a lot of people didn't know that what they were doing was illegal."
While no one has been charged with a crime, biologists and environmental law enforcement officials worry that the animals are losing their natural fear of humans. It is a problem that could grow with the resurgence of seal populations in the waters around the Cape and Islands.
"We have gotten to the point where our environmental laws have paid off," said Belinda Rubinstein, the seal biologist at the New England Aquarium. "What we now have to do it teach people how to interact with them."
Under the marine mammal protection act of 1972, feeding seals is considered harassment and is punishable by up to a $10,000 fine. The law requires that people stay a minimum of 150 away from seals.
While harbor seals are naturally curious, gray seals tend to be reclusive and stay away from humans. At 7-feet long and weighing up to 350 pounds, the mammals could be dangerous if they become overly aggressive.
On Nantucket, Belanger made a trip to Straight Wharf to remind charter boat captains that it was illegal to feed seals. The New England Aquarium also distributes a guide that reminds people how to interact with the animals.
"You could liken seals to bears,” Belanger said. “They are not aggressive by nature, but once they associate people and food, it is never a good thing."
